Fond memories of taking my child to story time every week. She loved it. The parking is free and…read moreplentiful and there are some really good meeting rooms to reserve. The staff are super kind and helpful. You can also reserve books using the online platform and then just get them off the reserved shelf and check them out. This feature is so helpful if you want an in/out experience. The library is what makes this City right. They are doing an excellent job!! The books are super awesome - you can find so many great ones, and they pull from other Oregon libraries so you really aren't limited to the books at this location. A fat thumbs up to this library and everything it has to offer. Also - don't forget the cultural pass you can reserve. It was a great way to take your children to local attractions without paying an entry fee. What a great educational opportunity!!!!

After years of living in Salem, I finally started going to the main branch of the Salem Library…read moreand, my god, I can't believe I never utilized this incredible place before. The building is huge, three stories, with plenty of conference rooms and even quiet side rooms that you can reserve for your own use. The sections are clearly marked and offer a little bit of everything. There's even a selection of audio books that you can look through. Upstairs on the second floor is the "Teen Zone." This room has video games, board, games, comfortable chairs and tables, and is a nice place where, I assume, teens can do their homework in a quiet, safe, warm, comfortable area. I often times take my kids here when we're looking for something to do, or in between times when we're meeting their mom to swap off our time together, and we'll play the various games they have available like Munchkin and Ticket to Ride, or Jenga or other traditional games. I love the science-fiction section and, because the library offers two electric vehicle charging stations at a lower price per kilowatt hour than some other locations, I'll often stop by here to charge my vehicle. I can easily pass the time by reading a book in one of the many, many comfortable seating locations around the library while my car charges. One thing that I finally found, that a friend pointed out, is something I'm almost hesitant to write about. However, if more people know about and request these things, maybe there's the opportunity to have more. I'm speaking of, of course, the Cultural Passes. Salem Library offers passes that are free for admission to many, many amazing locations around the Salem and Portland area. Each pass allows free entry for two people and are available for: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Gilbert House Children's Museum Hallie Ford Museum of Art Lan Su Chinese Garden Oregon Garden Oregon State Parks (all locations!) Pittock Mansion Portland Japanese Garden Willamette Heritage Center The passes are available for seven days and are non-renewable. Most people seem good about getting them in (although it appears that one person is almost two weeks late returning their pass, which is just plain rude and hopefully they will not be allowed to rent any more cultural passes) on time. You can look online at the website to see what passes are currently available at any time. There is also a section in the middle of the main floor of the library where you can borrow cooking and baking equipment, electronic equipment, games, and other miscellaneous items. Really, this library has so many incredible things available, it's really one of the greatest resources in the area. I hope the city council continues funding this incredible place because it's one of the greatest benefits our community has.

Excellent place for Oregon history, genealogical resources and access to Oregon government…read moreinformation.

Amazing library for no public funding and all volunteer ran. For a public service/free it's an…read moreamazing and much needed in our community. It's a shame more people didn't support funding.

My ten year old son and I went today, visiting from Sheridan. We were attracted by a geocache and…read moredecided to go in and check it out. When I started inquiring about a library card, and not being from the area, I was met with disapproval when mentioning my son potentially visiting on his own. My son and I were excited to provide him an opportunity to develop his independence in a place that I assumed was supportive of independent learning and was child friendly. I can't express how disappointed I am that a library, of all places, would turn away a ten year old without adult supervision. My son loves libraries and can get lost for hours while I'm there, so it's very disheartening to know that he's not welcome unless I'm with him. What ever happened to supporting and encouraging kids to grow? One of the volunteers suggested I was looking for child care/a babysitter. Just overall a very disappointing trip.

Horrible parking options, working students seem uninterested and routinely put down the city of…read moreSalem, staff and faculty take weeks to MONTHS for responses. Tuition is far too high for the level of education provided. Be aware and take you or your loved ones education elsewhere!!!!

This review is of Willamette just as a local cultural and entertainment asset. With the public…read morelibrary about to be handicapped for two years, I set out to look for alternatives. At the Mark O.Hatfield Library main desk, staff will issue to area residents a "community borrower's card" for a yearly fee of $50. To access the campus, I always park in the visitors' lot on the east side of Winter St., close to the intersection with Pringle Parkway. The signage is confusing: parking is free for casual drop-ins only on weekends. For those from away, walk NE from the visitors' parking until you see the fountain. There is found an excellent map and you can orient yourself. The Martha Springer Botanical Garden is a few minutes' walk from the library and worth a visit. It does not show on the online map. It is the green strip north of the Sparks Center, on the south bank of the Mill Race.

This place is old and falling apart. Outside stairs are rusty and unsafe looking. We were there to…read morevisit, and I am in a power chair, so you are supposed to ring a bell to notify staff you are there. When I reached up to press the bell, it fell off the wall and just dangled there, broken. The phones in the visitor area were largely out of order as well.

No, I didn't go to the slammer. I did however go to the OSP Car Show to benefit the children of…read moreincarcerated inmates. The Show has been going on over 42 years now and proceeds go to fund inmates children to go to a two week summer camp with other kids whose parents are incarcerated. The inmates look forward to this every year and entry is $45.00 (they have to do a background check) and you get notification you are in about 1-2 months before the show. They provide you with an orange shirt which is your to keep, have a great raffle with some pretty cool prizes with some actuallybeing made by the inmates. They also feed you breakfast and lunch (pizza) as you are in there for the duration (about 8 hours). If into classic cars, worth looking into the most unique car show in the state.

I love this little library! This is the closest branch of…read morethe Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service (CCRLS) to my home, and so it is where I pick up my books reserved via hold requests. That process has been consistently smooth and efficient. Everyone I've encountered here has been polite and clearly engaged in their job. I've had great conversations about books, reading recommendations, and even baking tips! The staff work hard to inspire people in the community to read and learn. Since COVID (and possibly before) the librarians regularly post videos geared towards child enrichment, with story times, crafts, baking, and science experiments all being offered. I think this is a cool, thoughtful service. They also put on library reading challenges, offering participants the chance to win cool prizes (for both adults and kids) from various community businesses. The building itself is a nice size. It has both a cozy and open feel with high ceilings. They offer a sizable amount of computers for public use, as well as places to read and/or study. It is always peacefully quiet in there when I stop in. I feel fortunate to have access to such a fine resource staffed with hard-working and passionate people. It is a gem!

Good deals but also bad deals here. The more popular it is, they will uptick the value higher than…read morewhat the deals are online so be mindful. Cashiers were nice, welcoming, had reviews to say about the books we got which I appreciated. Helped inform us on what we expect. Great selection of books with a first and second floor filled with all kinds you could possibly look for. Note: could not find the cat. Was probably hiding somewhere upstairs since I was mostly focused on books on the first floor. You can also ask them about the cat.

I'm glad there are other book store options here in Salem. I've shopped here probably 15 times and…read moreI love how unique this store is. Have never seen the cat, so that's a bummer. I love the option to buy used books. That being said I think their "we buy books" is pretty bad. I wish they gave more information. I brought in about 48 great condition popular books in. I had an appointment at 1:30pm that was made 3 weeks prior. I got there books in hand and was told the person who values the books to buy them was out but that I should get a call with an offer before 3:30pm. I killed some time around Salem as I wasn't expecting this to be quite the process and still had not gotten a call even though it was almost 4pm. I called them and they said the offer would be told to me in store. These are popular books from Carley Fortune, Tessa Bailey, Freida McFadden, Ali Hazelwood etc, and even some special editions of books with sprayed edges. All probably worth around $500 if you count each book as $10. After I came in to ask about my offer, the person helping me seemed pretty excited about all the books I had. Their offer was $57 in a check or $115 for store credit, it almost felt like a slap in the face to be honest. I told them that I'll think about it as I browsed the store. I took like half a lap through the store and went back to the front counter to let them know that I would be taking my books and declining their offer. As soon as I said that, immediate demeanor change in the employee and they just walked off while I had to put all my books back in the bags. Most of the time the staff are fine, but there is the occasional visit where I have staff a little too relaxed, almost as if they're not working at a bookstore. And there have been a few times I was waiting at the front counter ready to check out and not even looked at until the employees were done with their conversation which was anywhere from 1min to 10min. Prices are a bit high, but that's expected at an independent book store.

This was a nice stop directly behind the goodwill in west Salem…read more I thought this was strictly used books but they have some new as well. This place is very well organized and they have the pricing written inside the front cover. You can sell back books and join their club to get a discount on future purchases based on the books you sell back. All in all a great set up and I look forward to dropping in again.

Fabulous selection, knowledgeable and friendly staff, book buy back program with discounts for…read morefuture purchases. Something for everyone in your group or family!